The art of mastering your craft

There is something magical about doing something for its own sake, and taking pride in doing it really well. Some weeks ago I was doing a talk to design students and we ended up discussing how difficult this can be, when many tools designers and creatives rely on, are developing at such breakneck speed. For all those for instance, who poured their heart into becoming gurus of Flash, how annoying must it be, that this platform died overnight, with the announcement of Adobe that they will no longer pursue it. A frustrating situation to be in, and makes me think that there are tools and craft that is timeless, and there are tools that have in-built obsolesence. The trick is to master some of both, and never be too dependent on those that are likely to change quickly. This video, shared with me by Jon Tremlett, author of the Soulcraftcandy blog, illustrates well the art of mastering a timeless craft, and the pleasure it brings.